The Idea Factory

11/2/2013 From 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

with Suzy Spencer

$49 members (log in for member pricing)

$109 nonmembers

Want to write a book during National Novel Writing Month but just can’t zero in on the perfect idea? Maybe that’s because you haven’t visited the Idea Factory – a place to generate book ideas and sort the great stories from the not-so-great.
In this half-day workshop, we’ll help you brainstorm an idea that lights your creative passion. Or if you have too many ideas and can’t decide which one is the perfect one for you, we’ll help you decide on one. Yes, just one. The one.
Then, to ensure you have the power to write the entire book, we’ll help you focus the plot, characters, themes, motivations, conflicts, setting, the what ifs, and the what nexts. And we’ll even discuss that dilemma that stalls too many great writers – do I write this in first person or third person.

Come to the class with one to three “ideas” that can be expressed in one to 50 words. They can be as elaborate as a one-paragraph synopsis or as simple as a name, place, or event. Also bring one to three problems that you feel are preventing you from writing 50,000 words in 30 days. Together, we’ll have you writing by afternoon.

Suzy Spencer has written two (unpublished) novels and started countless others, which surely she would have completed if NaNo had existed back then. But she has completed and published five nonfiction books, including Wasted, a New York Times bestseller, and Secret Sex Lives: A Year on the Fringes of American Sexuality, a memoir that was named a Barnes & Noble Editor’s Recommendation, Publishers Weekly Fall Pick 2012, Writers’ League Texas Book Award nonfiction finalist, and was featured on Katie Couric’s talk show, "Katie."

Suzy holds a Master of Professional Writing in fiction, a Master of Business Administration in marketing and finance, both from the University of Southern California, and a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Baylor University.

NOTE: Tickets are not refundable. For more information on class policies, please visit our Classes page.

If your browser has difficulty with our website store, or if you prefer to mail in a check, click HERE for a class registration form. The document provides instructions on where to mail it.

This project is funded and supported in part by the City of Austin through the Economic Growth & Redevelopment Services Office/Cultural Arts Division believing an investment in the Arts is an investment in Austin’s future. Visit Austin at NowPlayingAustin.com.

Writers' League of Texas classes and workshops are also funded in part by the Texas Commission on the Arts - Investing in a Creative Texas. For more information, go to www.arts.texas.gov

The Writers' League of Texas would like to thank St. Edward's University for its generous support and commitment to community, ongoing education, and the arts. Visit www.stedwards.edu